Workers' Compensation Blog Archives - GWC

Does Workers’ Compensation Pay for Pain and Suffering?

With very rare exceptions, workers in Illinois can only be financially compensated for their on-the-job injuries through the workers’ compensation system. If...

Can I Sue My Employer for Negligence in Illinois?

In Illinois, you typically cannot directly sue your employer for negligence. However, the Illinois workers' compensation system provides specific guaranteed benefits to injured workers regardless of who is responsible. These guaranteed benefits include: Medical treatment coverage Lost wage benefits Disability compensation Vocational rehabilitation if needed Death benefits for surviving family members When You Can Sue Your Employer Direct lawsuits against employers are permitted in three specific situations. No Workers' Comp Insurance: If your employer failed to maintain required workers’ comp...

Am I Eligible for Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Illinois?

Under the workers’ compensation system in Illinois, you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if you have sustained an injury or illness on the job while performing the duties of your job. These can include injuries that are directly caused by your work, such as broken bones, burns, and loss of limbs, prior injuries or illnesses that have been made worse by the job, injuries caused by repetitive stress or exposure, like carpal tunnel syndrome and hearing loss, and sometimes...

How Long Can I Collect Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Illinois?

If you have been hurt on the job in Illinois and have filed a workers’ compensation claim, you may be asking yourself, “How long can I collect workers’ compensation benefits?” The answer depends on the type of workers’ compensation benefits that you mean. In Illinois, your workers’ compensation claim entitles you to receive medical treatment for your work injuries at no direct cost to yourself. While you are off of work for treatment, you may also collect Temporary Total Disability...

Will I Get Fired If I File a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Illinois?

Injured employees are often reluctant to file workers’ compensation claims because they fear that their employers will retaliate against them. They wonder, “Will I get fired if I file a workers’ compensation claim?” The short answer is no. In Illinois, it is illegal for employers to terminate employees for filing workers’ compensation claims. Employers who do so could be subject to lawsuits for retaliatory discharge. While these types of suits address violations of workers’ compensation law, retaliatory discharge actions are...

How Long Do I Have to Report a Work Injury in Illinois?

If you have been hurt while performing the duties of your job, you may be eligible to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits, provided that you first report your work injury. How long do you have to report a work injury? In Illinois, you must notify a boss, a foreman, or some other person acting in a supervisory capacity within 45 days of your work injury. Failure to properly report your work injury within this 45-day window can result...

Big Brother Is Watching: Video Surveillance and Workers’ Compensation

If you are injured while performing the duties of your job in the state of Illinois, you may be entitled to receive benefits through the workers’ compensation system. These benefits usually take the form of medical treatment for your injuries, a portion of your average weekly salary (typically two-thirds) while you recover, and a settlement for any permanent disabilities that you may have. However, just because your employer and its insurance company are required by law to provide you with...

Should You Sign a Work Comp Insurance Company Release?

In Illinois, if you are injured while performing the duties of your job, you may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits from your employer or your employer’s insurance carrier. These benefits typically include payment for reasonable medical services related to your work injury. Very often, however, a workers’ compensation insurance company will try to convince an injured worker to sign a release allowing the company to speak to or obtain records from any medical provider that worker has seen,...

GWC Attorney Negotiates $425k WC Settlement Despite Client’s Relatively Advanced Age

GWC Injury Lawyers Partner David Caplan recently obtained a $425,000.00 workers’ compensation settlement for a union construction laborer suffering from permanent injuries. This result is even more impressive given the client’s relatively advanced age of 66 years old. A Blow to the Neck In July 2015, Mr. Caplan’s client was working as a laborer on a construction site when a welding pipe fell and struck him between his head and right shoulder. He felt immediate shock through his entire body....

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